Sacrifico e Sorrissos
Wow, I don’t even know where to start. This last week has been crazy, but wait a second... I think I say that about almost email. I think that I was born into a family where every semana, um week, is crazy. Its awesome, realmente lots to do.
SO I will just go over the highlights of the week....
Monday- I had to sleep in Ribeirao because I was waiting for minha filha, so it was AWESOME because I got to go and work in Iraja Monday night... which made me soo happy. I called a bunch of recent converts there, and made some great visits... I saw Eva, Filipe and Marcia... I saw Lia and Danilo, and I saw Cleide and Adriano and Marines and Deborah.... it was soo wonderful to see how they are growing in their love and understanding of the gospel. It was amazing hearing how they are blessing the sacrament, going to firesides, doing visiting teaching.. I was so overcome with joy and happiness to see them... and as it came time to part I cried all over again... it is so hard to say goodbye. I cried a lot- like every visit. ha-ha. But it was wonderful.
We also had lunch with Presidente Cano and his wonderful family, Juliana and Gisele... they are the stake president in Riberiao Oeste... and I absolutely love this family. They helped me so much when I was in Iraja, they brought me soup every night when I was sick with pneumonia, and they always went on visits with us. It was so incredible to see them, and I cried to leave them again.
Tuesday- I met minha filha!! Sister Gomes! She is from Rio DeJaneiro... I absolutely love her. its funny, because I am suppose to train her, but her testimony is so powerful that I am learning more from her than she is from me. Her family is all um I don’t know this word... afasted? ..... drat... ok so I give up, anyways her family doesn’t go to church, and they are way against the church now, they through her out of the house when she decided to serve a mission. So she is pretty much incredible, she has literally given up everything to be here, which is amazing. She will be a powerful, powerful missionary, and I am so grateful to her mae :)
Tuesday night we were in training and stuff, so we got home like 10 at night, and were exhausted.
Wed- First day for Sister Gomes... I realized just how much I have grown... its funny because I think so many things are normal, and now being with a greenie... I can remember what its like. We have laughed so much at things, as I have remembered what its like to say things wrong, how you invited incorrectly... or just not knowing what scriptures to use or whatever... its funny. And the blisters... now I remember how it was... poor thing she has a bunch of blisters on her feet. But she doesn’t complain, which is great.
Ok so call me blonde.. I know that I was doing a day by day entry here... but I can’t remember what things happened on what day... so I will just talked in general now. ha-ha. Sorry everyone, I am a bit of scatter brain still.. ha-ha.
So yep this week it rained a tooon... this rain months messed up here, it was suppose to be like this in septembro... but its been delayed so its raining like crazy to make up. I think today I will go buy the mother of all umbrellas... because I am tired of being completely soaked.
We have 3 families that are progressing!!!!!!!! Two of them are firme for batismo... yeah!! Rodrigo and Regina are awesome, they are stopping to smoke... (I know the grammar is off) They only smoked one cigarette yesterday which is incredible! Rodrigo smoked two packs a day, and we have been working with them for weeks now on this, we wrote his kids names on the cigarettes, and things like "eternal marriage" and "baptism” so it was funny because when he smoked we asked him, so who did you smoke? And then he laughed, but it made him think about it. They are awesome, this couple, their two kids Nicolly and Nicolas are way cute, even though Nicolly is a terrorist. They cry every time we leave. :)
Rodrigo said the greatest thing on Saturday... He looked at me and said, "I will never forget the first time you came to our house, you looked at me with surprise, (very true) and then asked if my wife was home." (We didn’t even know if he was married) Rodrigo lovingly held the DVD (enconrtar fe em cristo) and said, "this is what began my salvation." I tried not to cry, because it is amazing to see how people change with the gospel, and to see how this family is helping to change the energy and love in the ward as well. they will be married and baptized in 2 weeks.. Yeah!!
The second family is Tatiane and Francisco... Francisco was baptized about 15 years ago, but is menos active... he doesn’t remember anything, but Tatiane has finally accepted baptism!! The sisters have been visiting her for months now... and the first week we visited them she was way against the Book of Mormon, so we felt we should just leave them for awhile... and then 2 weeks ago, we felt that it was time to go back, and they were completely different. They are going to church now, and we finally have all the documents they need to mark their marriage this week (yeah!!!) and Tatiane had a dream with like the second coming of Christ... she is finally accepting the Book of Mormon, and has accepted baptism!!!
so it is awesome to see how much these two families have changed. the third family, Claudia and Silvio are having lots and lots of problems... all three of these families don’t have work, but its amazing to see that the families that make the sacrifice, go to church, are being blessed with financial and spiritual help.. Claudia and Silvio are progressing... but are lacking the faith to move forward faster... we will see how it goes this week with them.
I love the mission, we worked so hard this last week, as usual had lots of disappointments, but to see the joy of these families as they begin to understand how families really can be eternal... it makes it all worth it. I am so grateful to be here, and so grateful to be with Sister Gomes, she is an incredible example to me of sacrifice, and makes me realize we can all sacrifice a little bit more for the gospel.
I love you all, thanks for the prayers and love!!
beijos
Sister Melanie Monroe
SO I will just go over the highlights of the week....
Monday- I had to sleep in Ribeirao because I was waiting for minha filha, so it was AWESOME because I got to go and work in Iraja Monday night... which made me soo happy. I called a bunch of recent converts there, and made some great visits... I saw Eva, Filipe and Marcia... I saw Lia and Danilo, and I saw Cleide and Adriano and Marines and Deborah.... it was soo wonderful to see how they are growing in their love and understanding of the gospel. It was amazing hearing how they are blessing the sacrament, going to firesides, doing visiting teaching.. I was so overcome with joy and happiness to see them... and as it came time to part I cried all over again... it is so hard to say goodbye. I cried a lot- like every visit. ha-ha. But it was wonderful.
We also had lunch with Presidente Cano and his wonderful family, Juliana and Gisele... they are the stake president in Riberiao Oeste... and I absolutely love this family. They helped me so much when I was in Iraja, they brought me soup every night when I was sick with pneumonia, and they always went on visits with us. It was so incredible to see them, and I cried to leave them again.
Tuesday- I met minha filha!! Sister Gomes! She is from Rio DeJaneiro... I absolutely love her. its funny, because I am suppose to train her, but her testimony is so powerful that I am learning more from her than she is from me. Her family is all um I don’t know this word... afasted? ..... drat... ok so I give up, anyways her family doesn’t go to church, and they are way against the church now, they through her out of the house when she decided to serve a mission. So she is pretty much incredible, she has literally given up everything to be here, which is amazing. She will be a powerful, powerful missionary, and I am so grateful to her mae :)
Tuesday night we were in training and stuff, so we got home like 10 at night, and were exhausted.
Wed- First day for Sister Gomes... I realized just how much I have grown... its funny because I think so many things are normal, and now being with a greenie... I can remember what its like. We have laughed so much at things, as I have remembered what its like to say things wrong, how you invited incorrectly... or just not knowing what scriptures to use or whatever... its funny. And the blisters... now I remember how it was... poor thing she has a bunch of blisters on her feet. But she doesn’t complain, which is great.
Ok so call me blonde.. I know that I was doing a day by day entry here... but I can’t remember what things happened on what day... so I will just talked in general now. ha-ha. Sorry everyone, I am a bit of scatter brain still.. ha-ha.
So yep this week it rained a tooon... this rain months messed up here, it was suppose to be like this in septembro... but its been delayed so its raining like crazy to make up. I think today I will go buy the mother of all umbrellas... because I am tired of being completely soaked.
We have 3 families that are progressing!!!!!!!! Two of them are firme for batismo... yeah!! Rodrigo and Regina are awesome, they are stopping to smoke... (I know the grammar is off) They only smoked one cigarette yesterday which is incredible! Rodrigo smoked two packs a day, and we have been working with them for weeks now on this, we wrote his kids names on the cigarettes, and things like "eternal marriage" and "baptism” so it was funny because when he smoked we asked him, so who did you smoke? And then he laughed, but it made him think about it. They are awesome, this couple, their two kids Nicolly and Nicolas are way cute, even though Nicolly is a terrorist. They cry every time we leave. :)
Rodrigo said the greatest thing on Saturday... He looked at me and said, "I will never forget the first time you came to our house, you looked at me with surprise, (very true) and then asked if my wife was home." (We didn’t even know if he was married) Rodrigo lovingly held the DVD (enconrtar fe em cristo) and said, "this is what began my salvation." I tried not to cry, because it is amazing to see how people change with the gospel, and to see how this family is helping to change the energy and love in the ward as well. they will be married and baptized in 2 weeks.. Yeah!!
The second family is Tatiane and Francisco... Francisco was baptized about 15 years ago, but is menos active... he doesn’t remember anything, but Tatiane has finally accepted baptism!! The sisters have been visiting her for months now... and the first week we visited them she was way against the Book of Mormon, so we felt we should just leave them for awhile... and then 2 weeks ago, we felt that it was time to go back, and they were completely different. They are going to church now, and we finally have all the documents they need to mark their marriage this week (yeah!!!) and Tatiane had a dream with like the second coming of Christ... she is finally accepting the Book of Mormon, and has accepted baptism!!!
so it is awesome to see how much these two families have changed. the third family, Claudia and Silvio are having lots and lots of problems... all three of these families don’t have work, but its amazing to see that the families that make the sacrifice, go to church, are being blessed with financial and spiritual help.. Claudia and Silvio are progressing... but are lacking the faith to move forward faster... we will see how it goes this week with them.
I love the mission, we worked so hard this last week, as usual had lots of disappointments, but to see the joy of these families as they begin to understand how families really can be eternal... it makes it all worth it. I am so grateful to be here, and so grateful to be with Sister Gomes, she is an incredible example to me of sacrifice, and makes me realize we can all sacrifice a little bit more for the gospel.
I love you all, thanks for the prayers and love!!
beijos
Sister Melanie Monroe
posted by Bev at 10:59 PM
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